In the year 2022, the unemployment rate in the United States is almost non-existent. Violent crime has been all but wiped out. Americans are more prosperous than ever. Why? The "New Founding Fathers" have created a yearly crime holiday called The Purge. For one night, anything goes, even murder.James Sandin (Ethan Hawke) lives with his wife (Lena Heady, "Game of Thrones") and kids in a swanky suburban neighborhood. He’s made quite a living selling home security systems that pretty much turn your home into a fortress during the twelve hours of the Purge. During this particular Purge, James' son Charlie (Max Burkholder from "Parenthood"), who’s not fully supportive of the whole "you can kill someone, as long as it’s the right day" thing, lets a stranger in need into the house. This unknown stranger (Edwin Hodge) turns out to be the target of a band of entitled rich preppy kids out for a night of the old ultra-violence. The Sandin family has to make a choice – condemn an innocent man to die or fight off the attack of the rich kids, who are willing and able to break into the house and slaughter the whole family. "The Purge" is in theaters now!But Should You Go See It?"The Purge" is about an hour-and-a-half of pure tension. The idea of being trapped in your home under the threat of a murderous horde, with no police to call, is gripping. And Aussie Rys Wakefield makes for a fun pscycho villain as the far too polite leader of the preppy horde – imagine if Crispen Glover were part Baldwin brother… and played the Joker.Unfortunately, quite a lot of the tense moments in "The Purge" fall flat. When the filmmakers are going for a gasp, what they get from the audience may be a laugh. The problem seems to be that the Sandin family comes off like the LEAST prepared for the Purge, when James is in the business of preparing families for the Purge. In thrillers, there is usually an expectation that the hero will do something stupid and / or be unprepared that leads to a predicament. But the Sandin family is CONSTANTLY doing these things, to the point that it’s hard to feel empathy for their predicament. Someone needs to tell the whole family that if you’re hiding in the dark, a lighted flashlight makes you REALLY easy to see.The idea behind this movie is intriguing, and if done well, could make a great movie. Unfortunately, "The Purge" is not done well. A little more creativity with the script could have gone a long way.